Home-made tea blends are a great way to experiment with spices and different teas. They also make fantastic gifts.

Relaxing tea

2 tablespoons of dried marigold buds
1 tablespoon of dried rose petals
4 tablespoons of white tea
Peel from 1/2 an orange
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

To make:
Cut the peel into strips or other shapes (like stars or hearts – depending on the occasion)
Soak the peel in the vanilla extract overnight
The next day preheat the oven to 100C and dry the peel out for an hour to two or until dried and hard
Combine with the rest of the ingredients and bag up

Energising tea blend

4 tablespoons of rooibos tea
1 tablespoon of cacao nibs
6 lightly crushed star anise
5 broken up cinnamon quills

Combine the ingredients and keep in a tea jar or place into individual tea bags

Warming tea blend

2 cm fresh ginger
1 stalk of dried lemon grass
4 tablespoons of black tea
10 cardamom pods

Preheat the oven to 100C
Slice the ginger into thin strips, spread on a baking sheet and place in the oven for an hour or until completely dried out
Combine with the other ingredients and keep in a jar or individual tea bags